Mystery shopper scam on the rise

With students now looking for summer jobs, policing are advising potential employees to be wary of mystery shopper job scams.

According to Durham police, posting on free websites such as Kijiji and Craigslist task potential employees with shopping tasks at a particular retailer, sending along a cheque. The employee will then be instructed to desposit the cheque to use for the shopping, as well as to keep a portion as payment. The remaining funds are to be used in a wire transfer to allegedly test the company’s procedure and customer service skills.

Police say these cheques have been found to be counterfeit, with the employee on the hook to pay the funds that were wired.

Police say this type of scam is typically targeted at students looking for summer employment. While legitimate mystery shopper businesses do exist, no reputable company will require you to send them money.

For more information or to report a scam attempt, please call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501, or visit antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca.